talkSPORT betting tips – Best Saturday racing bets and expert advice for Day 4 of the Ebor Festival

It’s the last of the four-day Ebor Festival and the Ebor Handicap, which has a prize money of almost £500,000, is the obvious highlight on a stellar seven-race card. 

There are strong supporting races throughout the afternoon, but the Melrose Handicap, a race for three-year-olds run over the Ebor distance of 1m6f, and the Group 1 City Of York Stakes, which sees a rematch between shock Sussex Stakes winner and last season’s Irish 2,000 Guineas hero, Rosallion, are clearly two contests to savour. 

Our expert, Marcus Buckland, has a trio of selections on the card including one in the feature race, one in the opener, and another in the Melrose Handicap on the card.

Saturday’s Ebor Festival Tips

• 1.50 York – King’s Gambit @ 5/2
• 2.25 York – Golden Handshake @ 9/2
• 3.35 York – Shadow Dance @ 8/1

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1.50 York – King’s Gambit @ 5/2

It looks unlikely that Harry Charlton’s King’s Gambit will reach the heights that once looked likely, but there was a lot to like about his run at Royal Ascot last time and he rates as a solid selection in the opening Group 3 Strensall Stakes.

The four-year-old progressed rapidly last year, kicking off with a fluent success in the London Gold Cup at Newbury off a mark of 93, prior to running a sequence of excellent races in defeat in Pattern company.

Close up behind Aidan O’Brien’s Los Angeles and Illinois in the Great Voltiguer Stakes over 1m4f at this meeting 12 months ago, he’s not been able to replicate that level of form since, but appeared to show the benefit of a gelding operation and drop back to 1m2f when keeping on well for third in the Listed Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot and shouldn’t be inconvenienced by this even shorter trip, especially if getting a strong pace to aim at.  

He’s clear on official figures alongside Skukuza, who looks vulnerable over this far. 

2.25 York – Golden Handshake @ 9/2

The William Haggas-trained Golden Handshake has shown steady improvement throughout his first season and, whilst he perhaps didn’t win with the level of authority that you might have expected on his handicap debut at Newbury last month, he looked to be saving a bit for himself and should have enough improvement in him to overcome a 4lb rise.

The son of Zarak confirmed the promise of May’s eyecatching Nottingham second when winning a Lingfield maiden impressively at long odds-on the following month and was able to follow up in a Newbury handicap off a mark of 84. 

He’s now up to 88, but he’s got plenty of size and scope for further improvement and represents a yard that has won two of the last six runnings. 

3.35 York – Shadow Dance @ 8/1

Roger Varian’s Shadow Dance shaped nicely on his belated seasonal return at Goodwood last month and should give a good account in what looks a typically competitive renewal of the feature Ebor Handicap.

The lightly-raced five-year-old was on target at this meeting last season, winning a valuable handicap over 1m4f off a mark of 95. 

Not beaten far when third in the Mallard Handicap over an extended 1m6f subsequently, he had 319 off the track before returning with a creditable ninth of 18 over an inadequate trip of 1m2f at Glorious Goodwood last month.

That run should have brought him on plenty from a physical aspect and this extra half-mile is very much in his favour. 

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